The agricultural sector needs to strengthen interaction with the various existing information systems such as corporate and research databases, the Internet and other resources that improve their productivity in such a way that agricultural companies can achieve international competitiveness that promotes the good image of Mexican products.
To achieve the effectiveness and efficiency in the commercialization of the products, it is necessary to know the company, the market and establish technology guidelines such as databases that, through research, minimize the costs of losses or procedures that may cause the loss of perishable products traded.
Introduction
Nowadays, companies in any industrial sector require the development of databases to optimize the use and analysis of the information generated from the commercialization of the different products in the sector.
In order to market certain products in certain geographic areas, both nationally and internationally, it is extremely important to analyze recent historical information in order to know trends, demand characteristics, legal requirements, trade barriers, among other factors. They can be of great help in the success or failure of the marketing of the products.
In addition, it is extremely important to know sources of information that validate the seriousness and representativeness of the data provided, in such a way that the information found can be used and developed.
In the agricultural sector, this issue is very important, due to the expiration of the product. At this point, it is necessary to be able to solve how an entrepreneur can carry out a market research that gives him the necessary bases to venture into the commercialization of his products.
In addition, it should be noted that the agricultural sector is of utmost importance for the development and prosperity of the economy of a country. Therefore, by taking advantage of technologies (such as information systems) the projection of companies in the branch can be achieved.
Knowing the company
In all companies it is necessary to have internal historical information to be able to analyze and develop it in such a way that strategies and action plans can be used to generate competitive advantages that strengthen them and can achieve their positioning in the local, national or international market.
With regard to companies in the agricultural sector, it is of great interest to be able to identify the advantages or areas of opportunity they have, so that in this way they can, through the use of information systems, take advantage of the existing or estimated efficiency of the company by automating operational processes that allow the company to make decisions that facilitate the use of its competitive advantages.
In order to optimize information systems, it is necessary to have the information that can generate analysis, synthesis and projections for the company, such as:
- AccountingFinanceInventoryProductionDistributionMarketingLogisticsAmong others
In this way, by optimizing the data provided by these different areas, information can be obtained that generates efficient strategies in the organization.
The agricultural sector is characterized by its strict requirements in quality, safety, durability and appearance, which is why it is of the utmost importance for a producing, processing or marketing company to have information that interlinks all the data of the priority areas so that the product reaches the appropriate final destination Source: CIA G, 2005.
Due to the aforementioned characteristics, different databases can be used to provide us with information from market prices, consumption trends to weather conditions, in such a way that by taking advantage of information technologies we can have competitive advantages that make our company attractive to existing and potential customers.
Knowing the market through a database
Even after studying the behavior of the company, a market analysis can be carried out through different databases that can provide us with endless statistical options and information through databases that allow us to know the situation of our market and the weather conditions, prices and in case we export, the different taxes, transport prices, export and import requirements, etc.
There are a large number of databases that can be governmental or private, free or with payment requirements, but the most important thing is to be able to identify the answers we want to obtain from the market, competition, demographic or geological characteristics, among others, in order to define Which database is the one that our company requires to consult or, where appropriate, design.
A database is made up of a series of files (which contain specific data), that is, according to Cohen, it contains a series of organized data that are related to each other, which are used and exploited by the information systems of a company or business.
For example, an international trade database can indicate the behavior of imports of a certain product in the destination country to which we want to send, the tariff fractions that that country has, tell us what requirements the destination government has, tariffs and taxes that it charges, in order to have the necessary and adequate information at the time of export, and in this way, ensure that the perishables that we commercialize abroad can be distributed in the destination country without risk of losing the cargo or delaying its import due to non-compliance with non-tariff requirements.
In Illustration 2, in a database it is even possible to obtain trade statistics by blocks or by countries, so that when a product is exported, the main traders and main importers of it can be known.
Illustration 2. Apple trade in NAFTA and Canada.
As Figure 3 indicates, information can also be obtained from a database on the countries that mainly market fresh apples to Canada, for example.
Illustration 3. Top countries that export fresh apples to Canada.
As can be seen in the previous illustrations, the data is a fundamental weapon in the development of the commercialization of products, since they can guide us on the forms and trends of commercialization in the national and international market through small investments (time, expert analysis, among others) that can avoid losing large amounts of money when merchandise that had a failed commercialization expires, either due to low demand for the product or not meeting requirements stipulated by the buyer or the government.
Merging business and technology
By merging the information that can be found in existing databases and those that are developed in companies, high efficiency can be generated in the commercialization of perishable products, in such a way that a company can respond efficiently and effectively to the demands and changes of the market, thus developing a competitive company open to the requirements and changes of the global market.
There are sources of information in addition to databases, such as the page of the Agricultural Information Systems of the Americas where you can make inquiries related to information systems in different parts of Latin America.
Being able to carry out the international trade of perishable products in an efficient and competitive manner can cause the paradigm of low quality in the commercialization of Mexican products to be eliminated.
Databases as a source of knowledge in the agricultural sector
In order to know the feasibility of the commercialization of a certain product, both nationally and internationally, it is advisable to carry out a market analysis where current trade, its trends, market characteristics - commercial presentation, applications, uses and customs - can be determined. trade trends, potential consumers, regulations, norms; in addition to the knowledge of changes in costs for the commercialization of the product, such as tariffs, taxes, transportation costs, insurance, and other costs derived from the new commercialization.
Due to the fact that the commercialization of perishable products must be cautious due to the costs required in their transportation, the cultivation and harvest of the product, as well as the life time of the same, it is of the utmost importance to carry out research through information systems that can provide actionable information in future negotiations.
General conclusions
Due to the short shelf life of some of the products that are marketed, the seasonality of production, the variation in climatic conditions, the production capacity that certain geographical areas have to harvest products, among other factors, is It is extremely important to perform an analysis of the information available from the target markets, in order to have statistical support of the historical information obtained and with this, greater precision in the feasibility analysis of market penetration.
Databases are a fundamental foundation in the development of marketing strategies, in such a way that they can provide the appropriate response to marketing concerns, and thus avoid unnecessary cost, time and other resources that can be used in case of not carrying out a secondary investigation prior to the commercialization of the product that the companies wish to commercialize.
Being able to rely on official, truthful, timely and reliable information, gives an entrepreneur the facility to take advantage of the diversity of data found in different databases in such a way that qualitative and quantitative analyzes can be developed that give us precision of the direction of the market, trends and especially existing opportunities.
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